View full sizeStudents at Markham Elementary School in Southwest Portland show off the lettuce they grew in their school garden. Parent Marnie Bennett organized the garden effort. Center for Earth Leadership

The Eco-School Network, a group of parents from more than 30 Portland schools who meet regularly to brainstorm ways to make local schools greener, is holding a Jan. 29 informational meeting for interested parents who might like to join.

At the meeting, parents will discuss how to form a student green team, organize recycling events, reduce cafeteria waste, start a school garden and more.

Members of the network, who are trained as "agents of change," have already successfully lobbied their schools to replace disposable cafeteria trays with durable reusable trays, set up worm bins to compost food scraps, created reusable "party packs" for classroom parties, and more.